Here's why promising British drama The Smoke was cancelled after only one season. Backdraft starring Kurt Russell (The Thing) is probably the most famous movie that follows the lives of firefighters, with other examples of the genre including 1974's The Towering Inferno starring Paul Newman and Steve McQueen and Ladder 49. The Smoke is a series that debuted on Sky in 2014 and followed the White Watch, a team of London-based firefighters.
The Smoke featured a great cast, including Jamie Bamber, future Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker and Taron Egerton. The show aired before Egerton's breakthrough role in Kingsmen: The Secret Service, and his career has gone from strength to strength ever since, including sequel Kingsmen: The Golden Circle, Eddie The Eagle and Rocketman. The Smoke centered around Bamber's Kev, the leader of White Watch who returns after being badly injured in a fire. In addition to dealing with lingering trauma from that event, he's determined to track down those responsible for his injuries.
The Smoke was a big budget drama that received solid reviews, especially for the work of the cast, but here's why it didn't return for a second series.
The Smoke Was Cancelled By Sky In 2014
Despite the warm reception that greeted The Smoke, it never quite attracted the numbers it needed to continue. The show's finale saw Kev seek revenge on the thug responsible for his wounds, which set up a potential future conflict between him and Taron Egerton's Dennis in a later season, which will now go unresolved. That said, if The Smoke had continued to season 2, Egerton's blossoming film career likely would have seen him leave the show.
There's No Sign Of The Smoke Returning For Season 2
The expense of making the show, combined with its disappointing ratings, means The Smoke season 2 is unlikely to be revived elsewhere. The cast have all moved on to other projects too, with Jamie Bamber being part of Strike Back and Jodie Whittaker quite busy with Doctor Who duties.
The Smoke was a good show that never quite became great, so even though it had fans, there hasn't been any real call for it to be brought back. Another series would have explored the ramifications of Kev's actions in the season finale - who already showed signs of being haunted by it - but since it's now over five years since The Smoke went off the air, it's very unlikely the show will return.